OKC Thunder news: Scotty Hopson waived

The Oklahoma City Thunder waived Scotty Hopson a day after signing him.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Sunday that they had waived guard Scotty Hopson a day after signing him.

This move was made so the Thunder could gain Hopson’s G League rights and place him on the OKC Blue when their season begins in November.

The 33-year-old veteran made his NBA debut last season as an emergency signing due to health and safety protocol cases on the Thunder.

In 32 games last season with the Blue, Hopson averaged 13.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

With preseason over and the 2022-23 regular season days away, this likely marks the end of the Thunder using this roster tactic.

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OKC Thunder news: Adam Mokoka waived, Scotty Hopson signed

The Oklahoma City Thunder waived Adam Mokoka and signed Scotty Hopson.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Saturday they had signed guard Scotty Hopson and waived guard Adam Mokoka.

The Thunder signed Mokoka on Wednesday, but he did not appear in a preseason game for the team.

Hopson played in one game with the Thunder last season. In 32 games last season with the G League OKC Blue, Hopson averaged 13.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

This move is likely designed to gain the G League rights of the 33-year-old and place him on the OKC Blue roster when their season begins in November.

The Thunder have done a similar move with several other players throughout training camp and preseason — quickly sign and release them — to gain their G League rights.

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2021-22 Thunder player grades: Scotty Hopson

Handing out a final grade for Oklahoma City Thunder guard Scotty Hopson’s 2021-22 regular season.

(Editor’s note: We are starting individual grades for all players from the 2021-22 Oklahoma City Thunder. To access other reviews as part of this ongoing series, click here.)

With the 2021-22 regular season now officially in the books, the Oklahoma City Thunder (24-58) finished their season with the fourth-best lottery odds. This means it is now time for individual player grades for all 26 players who suited up for the team this season during the 82 games. The grades will be determined by what the season expectations were for each player and how they lived up to them.

The twenty-sixth player in the installment is Scotty Hopson, who made his return to the NBA after four years for a one-game appearance.

OKC Thunder news: Thunder sign Rob Edwards, Scotty Hopson and Olivier Sarr to 10-day hardship deals

The Thunder have announced three 10-day hardship deal signings with Rob Edwards, Scotty Hopson and Olivier Sarr.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Monday that they have signed Rob Edwards, Scotty Hopson and Olivier Sarr to 10-day hardship deals.

The Thunder currently have four players in health and safety protocols — Darius Bazley, Tre Mann, Aleksej Pokusevski and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl — which means that the team had three temporary roster spots to fill as all four will be out until Sunday at the earliest.

Bazley and Mann entered protocols on Sunday while Pokusevski and Robinson-Earl entered on Monday. The Thunder played a game on Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans with Mann, Pokusevski and Robinson-Earl all in the building with the latter two actually playing the game.

Edwards averaged 12.3 points while making a team-high 2.3 threes in 15 games this season. Hopson has averaged 6.4 points in 11 games this season, Sarr has averaged 7.1 points and 4.8 rebounds in 14 games this season.

 

The Blue has now had four players plucked from NBA teams with the hardship deal as D.J. Wilson was signed by the Toronto Raptors last week.

This news isn’t surprising. The Blue run the same offensive and use the same jargon as its superior along with playing in the same arena for home games, so a G League to NBA jump would be as seamless as possible. Logistically speaking, signing internal guys onto the hardship deals made a ton more sense than signing outside free agents.

The Thunder are scheduled to play at least three games with Edwards, Hopson and Sarr with the first game coming on Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings.

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Thunder waive D.J. Wilson, Scotty Hopson ahead of regular season

D.J. Wilson and Scotty Hopson were waived by the OKC Thunder.

The Oklahoma City Thunder waived forward D.J. Wilson and wing Scotty Hopson, the team announced on Friday morning.

With the news that Wilson was waived, it would appear the 15-man roster is set with Gabriel Deck in the final spot.

Wilson was signed to the Thunder’s training camp roster in late September after spending last season with the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets. Over 3.5 seasons with the Bucks, Wilson averaged 4.0 points in 11.9 minutes of play. In 23 games with the Rockets last season after a mid-season trade, Wilson averaged 6.1 points in 14.3 minutes per contest.

He appeared in two preseason games for the Thunder.

Hopson, a 32-year-old 6-foot-7 guard, has bounced around the NBA and overseas since finishing his University of Tennessee playing days in 2011. He appeared in two games for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2013-14 and one for the Dallas Mavericks in 2017-18.

He played in the NBL during both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

Hopson’s most recent NBA experience was on the 2019-20 OKC Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate. He averaged 18.3 points in six games. It would be unsurprising to see Hopson back in a Blue uniform this year, if he does not return overseas.

The Thunder’s 2021-22 season is set to begin on Oct. 20 when Oklahoma City plays against the Utah Jazz. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

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